Home
news
The dates for the trials have now been confirmed by Brocton FC and Stafford Town FC.
Unless there are unforseen circumstances then these dates are set in stone. Players need to arrive at least 20 minutes before the allocated time, ready changed They should bring appropriate footwear for the pitches, Stafford 3G and grass at Brocton. All players will be responsible for their own drinks as well as having suitable clothing for the prevailing weather conditions.
Monday 1st July Under 14 Girls 5-30 till 7-00pm U15 Boys 7-00pm till 8-30pm
Monday 8th July Under 14 Boys 5-30 till 7-00pm U16 Boys 7-00pm till 8-30pm
Monday 15th July Under 16 Girls 5-30 till 7-00pm U18 Boys 7-00pm till 8-30pm
Monday 8th July Under 15 Boys Final Trial Brocton FC 6-00pm
Friday 12th July U16 Boys Final Trial Brocton FC 6-00pm
Monday 15th July Under 14 Boys final trial Brocton FC 6-00pm
Only players nominated by their schools will be allowed to trial unless they were part of the previous seasons squad
The nomination forms for season 19-20 will be in schools next week. Only schools can nominate players for trials and these players would be expected to be the best in the school. It would be unusual for a school to have more than two or three boys of a high enough standard in any particular age group.
Players who are at professional clubs are not exempt from trialling and many clubs actively encourage their players to play county football as it gives them competitive experience. Boys from Port Vale, Stoke City, Aston Villa, Burton Albion, Walsall, Shrewsbury Town to name but a few played for Staffordshire last season.
The girls situation is subtly different as so many schools do not run teams for girls and thus many girls who play at a high level are missed out from the trial process simply because the teachers are unaware that they play. Girls who attend or have trialled at an RTC should be attending the trials. Staffordshire have a good record with girls football and County football is an experience that they should not be missing.
The trial will be taking place in early July with a view to teams being ready to play from the beginning of October.The six teams run by the Association have a programme of matches and these will be released in due course and will go on the calendar on this website. Keep up to date by visiting the website and twitter feed regularly.
The Annual General Meeting of the Association will take place on Wednesday the 3rd of July in the boardroom at St Georges Park at 7-30pm.
Individual Schools'competition entry forms will be in schools after the half term holiday. Only 60% of Staffordshire Schools enter the secondary/middle schools competiions and less than 20%in the primary competitions. These competitions give schools the opportunity of meeting new opposition and prove to be a great experience for those who take part with the finals being the highlight of the SSFA calendar. If you read this remind your PE teacher to enter a team if they can.
The dates for the boys and girls trials will also be released soon and nomination forms will be going to PE staff in the next week or so. The standard required to play County Football is high and all pupils attending schools in Staffordshire are eligible. Teams are run at U14 Boys and Girls, U15 and U18 boys as well as U16 Boys and girls.
The County sides have won numerous titles at regional level and two national titles in the past eight years as well as providing players for the ESFA England U18 Boys and U15 Girls international sides.
Sponsorship news to follow.
The Staffordshire Schools 'season draws to close this week. On Monday the U14 Boys will play Repton at Stafford Town FC KO 7-00pm to help Repton in their quest to win the national U14 small schools competition. They will be playing at the Hawthorns later in the month. Manager Neil Davies is using his whole squad for this their final game of the season. Admission is £3 adults and £2 concessions and usual dress code applies.
On Tuesday the U15 boys supported by a couple of older players will take on the SRUSA team, a group of players hoping to earn scholarships to USA universities in the next two seasons.There will be a short presentation before the game bu SRUSA and the game kicks off at Stafford Town FC at 7-00pm.
On Friday we send Newcastle College best wishes for their national cup final at Stoke City FC. Several Staffordshire Under 18 players will be taking part in the game and losing finalists last season they will be hoping to go one better.
Jack Finney, one of the Under 18 players was skipper of a team which won one of the futsal categories in the Peoples Cup and will have the pleasure of attending the FA cup Final at Wembley.We hope that he has a great day.
The Under 18 Boys travelled to Sandwell Academy to take on the West Midlands having already won theMCF title but hoping to finish their league programme with a 100% record. This was made difficult due to the absence of four first choice players but such is the depth of the squad they were not missed.
The game was an excellent example of Under 18 County football played at a high pace with lots of skill on display. West Midlands took a 1-0 lead when Staffordshire gifted them possession having had several good chances to lead in the game. West Midlands always posed a threat and also created good chances.
The second half was almost totally dominated by Staffordshire but they found themselves two goals down after a horrible mix up in the defence. The setback seemed to spur Staffordshire on and the got a goal back when Owen Turner met a corner and headed in at the back post. The rampant Jack Taylor made a brilliant interception, made 40 yards and then played in Christian Blanchette who bravely went in with boots flying to level the scores. Staffordshire were now in the ascendancy and it was no surprise when they were awarded a penalty which Tom Harley stuck away.
The boys have been excellent all season and but for one poor performance in the national competition would have had a perfect season. Three boys in particular deserve a special mention, Jack Taylor, Max Cuthbert and Alex Minshull have played in the County side for five years and clocking up in excess of fifty appearenceseach. Some of the squad will be available again next season but Jack Finney, Ethan Cartwright, Sam Jarvis, Declan Arber,Sam Jessup and Tom Harley will be leaving. Staffordshire County SFA thank them all for their contribution and wish them well in their future careers.
The Under 18 Boys will be crowned MCF Champions tomorrow night at Sandwell Academy no matter what the result of the game. It will be their and the County's last competitive game of the season and for many their last game in a Staffordshire shirt. The game kicks off at 7-00pm and players should report to the Sandwell Academy, Halford Lane as near to six as possible. The school is opposite West Bromwich Albion Football club. Usual dress code applies.
Squad is:
George Hill Sir Graham Balfour
Jack Taylor JCB Academy
Connor Taylor Stoke VI College
Alex Minshull Newcastle College
Carter Lycett Hednesford
Owen Turner Hednesford
Jack Finney Stoke VI College
Tom Harley Codsall
Christian Blanchette Codsall
Declan Arber Codsall
Ethan Cartwright Newcastle College
Matt Jessup Weston Road
Anye Fohwaje Blessed William Howard
Sam Jarvis Walton HS
Max Cuthbert Alleynes Academy
Kyle Ashman Hednesford
The boys will collect the trophy and medals at the conclusion of the game.
@staffsschoolsfa will allow all to follow what is going on and will supplement the information available on the website.
Follow the account which is being run by Under 15 team Manager Bailey Evans.